Mayor Pulido in budget dispute with council
ANDA–Mayor Nestor Pulido, leader of this small island town, is furious.
His anger is directed towards members of the municipal council led by Vice Mayor Napoleon Celeste who, Pulido thinks, are asking for an “outrageous and irresponsible” share of the town’s budget.
“Do you know that the total you’re asking, which is P8,728,596.75, is almost one fourth of the total budget of our town which is some P35 million?,” Pulido said in a letter addressed to the Sangguniang Bayan.
“Hindi ba nakakaloko ito? Pwera pa sa P1,250,810.04 na hinihingi naman ni Vice Mayor na budget niya,“he added.
Meanwhile, Celeste and the 10 Sangguniang Bayan (SB) members have signed a reply letter to Pulido defending their budget proposal.
They maintained that contrary to the mayor’s claim, their proposed budget, compared to other neighboring smaller towns with smaller income, was not “outrageous, irresponsible, unconscionable and criminal waste of people’s money”.
The signatories include Councilors Aldrin Cerdan, Isagani Rarang, Dante de Castro, Edward Domalanta, Cece Celeste, Alex Bacundin, Jesus Caranay Jr., Rogelio de Castro, and Kristine Charlotte Carpo.
They decried the mayor’s decision to shelve their budget for the past four years, preventing them from carrying out their functions.
“(We are) insulted, dishonored, and embarrassed” by the mayor’s letter, they said.
They said they only proposed P4,185,000 and another P1,250,810 for the vice mayor.
Pulido also pointed out that the town’s treasury office collects only about P6 million from local sources, much smaller than what the council is asking.
The council, on the other hand, said the treasury office should be blamed for collecting only P6 million instead of P10 million.
Pulido is particularly enraged by the proposed P400,000 budget for purchase of mobile telephone expenses, saying they can buy cheap ones that cost only P1,700 each. He also denounced the P350,000 traveling allowance and P350,000 training expense in the proposed budget.
“Huwag niyo naman sanang gayahin ang mga 35 honorableng congressmen who accompanied President GMA on her trip abroad,” Pulido said.
Pulido said all this money can be better used for the development of livelihood projects for the people
“This is what I’ve been telling you all along in my budget message for the past few years. Let us prioritize our expenditures. And let us save, save and save!,” Pulido said.
In response, the council said, “Since you were elected as municipal mayor of Anda, we read nothing in your budget message except save, save, save. But the truth is we cannot save because you don’t give us funds so there’s nothing to save,” they said.#
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